The Fox Chase
by ca186229
Summary: The Lestrange girl has a plan. She will overcome all obstacles,sacrifice herself, and reclaim her families honor. But she won't know love until she ends up in Forks, Washington.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Harry Potter or Twilight.

Fox Chase

The Sorting

Harry Potter sat aboard the Hogwarts express. His excitement at finally escaping the Dursley's for the summer was evident in his eyes. As he contemplated the upcoming year and the things he would learn, the compartment door slid open. In the door way stood a girl. Her unremarkable face looked at him sadly as she said, "May I join you?"

Harry looked at her perplexed. He nodded the affirmative and she took a seat opposite him close to the window. She sat in silence and Harry broke the ice by saying, "I'm Harry. Is this you're first year as well?"

The girl looked at him thoughtfully and stated, "Yes, are you a muggleborn?"

Harry bemusedly replied, "Well my parents were magic, but I was raised by my muggle relatives."

The girl frowned and was about to reply when the compartment door slid open for the second time. A redheaded boy stood there, and sheepishly asked if he could join them. The girl had turned back to the window as he entered and the redhead was all too happy to ignore her.

"Ron Weasley," the newcomer stated and held out his hand to Harry.

"Harry, Harry Potter," the boy replied. As Ron gapped at him, the girl sharply turned her head towards him and gazed upon him with intense royal blue eyes. She stayed silent. However, Ron proceeded to ask Harry questions that increasingly made him uncomfortable. It was during this that the compartment door slid open for the third time.

A bossy looking girl came in with a timid looking boy following on her heels. "Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one." The travelers in the compartment shook their heads negatively. "Oh well, I'm Hermione Granger, this is Neville Longbottom, and you are?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

"Ron Weasley" "Harry Potter"

Hermione exclaimed in delight and began to list all the books she read about Harry and started to prattle on. Meanwhile the girl next to the window had switched her intense gaze from Harry onto Neville. She studied him with interest while he grew increasingly nervous under her gaze. His relief was prominent when Hermione proceeded to drag him out of the compartment a few minutes later.

For the rest of the trip, the girl looked out the window, contemplating silently. When the train arrived at Hogsmead station, the occupants of the train proceed either to the coaches or in the first year's case, to the boats. The entire time, the girl was silent, observing her future classmates. When the students eventually were lead into the Great Hall, whisperings that Harry Potter was attending Hogwarts this year were abundant.

The sorting started. Harry silently contemplated which Hogwarts House he would be placed in. Gryffindor, the house of the brave. Hufflepuff, the house of the hardworking and loyal. Ravenclaw, the studious group of quick-witted students. Lastly Slytherin, the house of the cunning, or from what he heard, evil. Ron and Hagrid had declared that only Slytherin had wizards who went Dark. These proclamation and a rather disagreeable conversation with his new archenemy Draco Malfoy, cemented his feelings.

As he was thinking of this, a name was called that instantly silenced the Hall. He belatedly noticed the silence and wondered at the cause. He did not see any of his fellow first years step up to the Sorting Hat. The Hall started to become tense with anticipation as the Deputy Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall, slowly called out the name again.

"Vulpecula Lestrange"

The group of unsorted first years slowly parted as a figure walked up the steps and to the Sorting Hat. Her unremarkable face, and royal blue eyes pegged her as the girl from the train. He realized he had never thought to ask her name.

The unremarkable girl sat on the stool and waited. The Sorting Hat started to whisper in her ear,

"_Ahh, Vulpecula Lestrange. Interesting. What on Earth? Ohhhh, I see. Very clever, and I can see you can pull it off. You were suitably named. Where to put you? With your personality, you could go anywhere. What's this? The best way to achieve your goal is to have everyone fear you? Very cunning indeed….SLYTHERIN!!!"_

With a Dark Smile that sent chills down the spines of everyone in the Great Hall, she exited the stool. Step One of her plan was complete.

Authors Note:

Vulpecula is the constellation of the Fox. I figured I would name my main character after a constellation because the woman and men of the Black family are given astrological names. The Fox It is eternally being chased across the sky by the Arrow, but is always ahead of others, so it is always safe. The myth will be important to the story at some point.


	2. Chapter 2

The Fox Chase

The Futures Vision

Alice Cullen was bored. Her and her family were visiting a fellow Vampire clan in Denali, Alaska. All it seemed they did was move place to place, never making friends, and visit their 'relatives'. Sure, most of their time was spent in high school, but how many times could a person read Romeo and Juliet without memorizing it. This was actually worse for her due to her vampiric memory. She couldn't forget it even if she wanted to. Instead, she read it in other languages, just to pass the time.

Now though she was hunting with her family. They were considered "Vegetarian Vampires" because they sustained themselves on animal blood instead of human blood. Deer were her favorite. Her brothers, Edward, Jasper and Emmett preferred other animals like wildcat or bears. Her father figure Carlisle, her mother Esme and her sister Rosalie, preferred deer like her.

As the family was heading back to the other clans house, she suddenly got a vision. Alice was gifted among the vampires. She could See the future when the object of her focus decided on an action. Sometimes, like now, she would receive a vision that she knew would change their lives (so to speak.)

_She saw her family, and they weren't alone. She and a number of people were standing around six thrones. What was unusual was that there were blank spots in the room. People had their arms hooked in midair and having conversations as if there were people there. She and her family were off to the side, waiting in anticipation. There were also blank spots next to herself, Emmett, Edward, and Rosalie. She knew in her vampiric gut that their mates that were missing spots. Her family and herself seemed content enough for it to be true. _

_Her thoughts were interrupted by Esme's voice, "Alice, honey, can you See when the Council will enter? Palmira is too far along in her pregnancy to be standing for long and she already looks a little strained."_

_Alice looked at her future counterpart with confusion, while future Alice answered, "Their coming in now, good thing too, because Alex would throw a fit if his mate were to give birth on the floor." _

_Esme gave a smile and looked up towards the thrones, "The second reign of the Council of Six is about to begin."_

**Present**

Alice softly gasped as she came back to the present. Edward was frowning in confusion over the vision he read in his sister's mind. The rest waited expectantly.

"It seems that that, in the future, we are all mated," said Edward. Smiles broke out among the siblings. "However, we cannot see them. This could mean that they are different, like the La Push werewolves, or they have not been decided upon yet."

Alice was pondering over the vision. Someone must have set that future in motion. She had an inkling that the person held the future in there hands. She also wondered when her family would be affected.

She put this from her mind as her father said, "Come, if Alice cannot See these people, then there is a good chance they could be the Quilette wolves. We should go back to Forks and wait." The family agreed and started back towards the Denali clan home.

Alice, however, paused slightly as a fox crossed her eye. She stared as another vision overcame her. No details were clear, but the fox remained in the center as her peripheral vision started to blur.

She blinked herself back to full awareness and softly murmured, "Vulpecula."


	3. Chapter 3

The Fox Chase

The Dark Lord Returns

It was the end of her fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Triwizard Tournament had just concluded with devastating results. If Harry Potter was to be believed, then the Dark Lord had returned.

Vulpecula sat by herself out by the lake. Four years had traveled slowly for her. Her initial sorting in Slytherin was a boon and a blessing. Her classmates feared or adored her, most feared her. She did nothing to instigate these emotions since the evil smile on her sorting day.

She was an observer, speaking no more than what her teachers asked of her. They infrequently asked her to speak at all. Her mother ensured that.

**Flash Back**

Vulpecula's mother, Bellatrix Lestrange nee Black, was a truly fearsome woman. She married her father, Rudolphus Lestrange, for his title and money. Not to mention his blood status, which was so pure as to slowly drive him mad from inbreeding. She and Rudolphus were infamous for the torture of the Longbottom's to the point of insanity. Several carried out the actual act, but her mother was the judge, jury, and executioner of the entire ordeal.

All in the effort to find the whereabouts of the newly fallen Dark Lord, who was defeated by Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, just days previously. Her fervor for her Lord's cause crossed into madness and was feared to have spread to her only daughter, Vulpecula. They feared that the madness would still be present even when Bellatrix and her husband had lifelong sentences to the Wizarding prison Azkaban.

She had not inherited her mother's dark beauty, but instead was a plain faced child with lovely royal blue eyes and chestnut hair from her father. Since no physical facial features were present in her daughter, she must have gotten the Black brains. However, because she was so quiet, no one knew the true extent of her knowledge. And she had knowledge.

She grew up relatively alone, with only her grandmother and the house elves to keep her company. Her solace lay in the books of the Lestrange Library. Those ancient and modern tomes depicted the Darkest and Lightest of Magic, Law, Creatures and Ritual. She learned things in her library that the most famous of scholars would sell their souls for.

The most important knowledge she had gained came from a tiny black tome that _felt_ evil. It was this tome that lead her to believe that the Dark Lord was not dead, merely in pieces. How many pieces, she was uncertain. All she knew was that he would need to be completely destroyed before she could live freely and achieve her one goal in life.

Before she had even stepped foot into Hogwarts she knew of her parents and what they had done. It disgusted her. She had read over her Black and Lestrange ancestries very carefully and concluded that she came from scholars, (before the inbred madness took over), hence the vast collection of books at her disposal. Vulpecula, resolved herself to straighten the families honor no matter what it took.

A plan was hatched before she took her first steps into Hogwarts. She would use The Dark Lord to redeem her families honor. She would sacrifice her happiness to ensure his plans would not run there course.

First, she would play the part of the evil daughter. Everyone that needed to fear her would. Only her allies would know the truth in her actions. They would need to know her plans, but any of her friends would be targeted should the truth be revealed. Instead, her allies hid, not only for their own safety, but also so they could perform their duties in secret.

**Present**

Vulpecula was sitting near the lake when one of her secret allies stepped behind her. Without turning she asked, "Are you ready for what's to come?"


	4. Chapter 4

The New Head of Lestrange

Vulpecula drew her cloak over her head cautiously. She was headed towards Gringotts, the Goblin Bank. As she weaved through Diagon Alley patrons, she caught sight of her goal. She hurried up the steps to the marble building and into the Lobby.

"Good evening," she stated quietly. "I need to speak with Smashook, the account manager to the Lestrange vaults."

The goblin she had spoken to peeked a look under her hood as his eyes widened. "Indeed, he will be notified." He said before he disappeared down a hallway that she had previously not noticed.

Another goblin silently led her down the hallway, which was filled with doors that had names of families and Goblins on them. As she was led farther down the hallway, the names became more illustrious until she stopped at her name.

She silently entered the door to which, she assumed, belonged to her account manager. An ancient goblin sat behind an even more ancient oak desk. He was observing her politely until she spoke.

"I am in need of emancipation and full control of the Lestrange vaults as well as any properties and holdings that come under me and my family's jurisdiction." The ancient Goblin looked at her evenly as she waited for his reply.

"All of this and more can be granted to you, however, certain conditions must apply. " He stood and hobbled over to a cabinet from which he pulled a stack of parchment. He hobbled back to the desk as she took her seat in from of the desk. He neatly laid out several of the parchment before he continued, "These conditions will ensure emancipation and full rights to the Ancient and Noble House of Lestrange's protections. Your ancestor one hundred and fifty years ago tasked me with the duty of finding the next Head who will have the full protections of his estate. First, I need to know you are capable of taking the position of Head of House before we continue. Why exactly are you in need of emancipation and control over the Lestrange assets? I know that your grandmother has recently died, but a magical guardian can always be arranged for you."

After silently gathering her thoughts she replied, "The Ancient and Noble House of Lestrange once boasted the most forward thinking and strongest witches and wizards of their generation. The last hundred and twenty-five years has blighted that proud tradition. The increasing lean toward Dark Magics and Theory has driven the clan into darkness. I am also afraid that the inbreeding of my ancestors and refusal to keep any squib children in the family has ensured that the line has nearly died out and what is left has been driven into madness. It is my goal to bring the old traditions of magic back, not only for my family but also to the new muggleborn children that will eventually enter our society. To do this I need a certain amount of exemption from the law and the protection that my family's wealth will afford me. I plan to infiltrate the Dark Lords inner circle and protect those that need help from harm, move them to a safe location, and start their education into the Ancient and Modern Magics."

Smashook had watched her impassively throughout her speech. He nodded to himself when he came to a decision. "I will grant you full rights the House and its protections. You are actually very lucky, if your parents were not serving life sentences there would be no possibility of this working. As it is, you can gain full emancipation in the eyes of the Ministry and full monetary assets can be turned to you from us goblins. Since your ancestor tasked me to give full rights to the Head of my choosing, you will also be given the secrets to your Family Magic. What is not commonly known is that the Lestrange Magic has protection of its own. When we retrieve the Head Ring from your vaults, it comes with protection.

None of the Lestrange clan can attempt to harm you. If they attempt to raise their wand against you, it will immediately result in their loss of magic. If they attempt to harm you physically, the limb that is raised before you will be magically blown off. In the case of a family member convincing, enchanting, or paying a third party to harm you, that family member will lose their magic or their limbs in place of the actual person who attempts to cause harm. This also applies to anyone connected through marriage to the Lestrange family, such as your mother, or anyone who has at least one fourth of Lestrange blood.

Other entitlements of this protection insure that family members cannot directly lie to you. The Lestrange Wards and Family Magic can be used only by you or others you give permission. Any magical bond that you happen to form through ward ship, friendship, marriage, or blood will have these protections to a degree as well."

Vulpecula sat in the office in shock, what Smashook was offering was so much more than she had hoped to gain by coming here. She quickly agreed that she would become the next Head, signed all the necessary papers, and left to take the trip to the vault for the ring.

"Why did you choose me as the next Head when you could have chosen my father, or other ancestors? I'm not yet sixteen and many of my allies think my goal is an impossible one."

"I chose you over the others because your fourth great grandfather was unsure about the future of his family. He had seen the increasing degenerative signs of magical society influencing his family. The Lestrange's were starting to stray from family traditions with the rest of society. Squibs, Creatures, and the muggleborn were starting to have a more difficult time due prejudice. The rapidity of muggle technology and thought scared the magic users. His own son came back from Hogwarts after his first year, supporting anti-muggle thoughts and he knew something must be done. He had never taught him the secrets of the Family Magic before this, and now found that he would use the magic for power and evil if he had the chance. He then came to me, his friend, and taught me the secrets and charged me with finding the next heir. You are everything he would have wanted in an heir. Knowledgeable, cunning, noble, compassionate, and at the same time- unforgiving. I believe that _you_ will restore the honor that he held so dear, _you_ will bring back the light, _you_ will merge the all beings, _and you_ will be the savior of our kind."

Throughout his entire speech, Vulpecula listened with an impassive face. Her plain features and control hid the turmoil of feeling raging inside her. She did not want to be a _savior;_ she just wanted to restore the family honor. She had set an impossible task for herself. Her new knowledge would help her achieve her goal, but she was scared. If she took one misstep, her façade for all these years might crumble; all she had strived for would end in ruin.

She silently contemplated all this as they reached the vault. They entered and Smashook directed her towards the back of the vault. On an ornate glass table lay a ring box. She carefully reached toward the box and slowly opened it.

Inside laid the family ring. In the center was a large round sapphire jewel, on the gold ring was the family motto, _honor from knowledge gain with it protection_. The ring looked ancient, the letters of the words were in Gealic, luckily she could read the inscription due to her forays into the family library.

As she put on the ring, it shrunk to fit her finger. Their business done for the day, they left to leave the vault. As she walked by a line of shelves, a small golden cup caught her eye. It felt like evil was seeping through the metal. She cautiously ran a diagnostic on it. Her wand was now free from The Trace for underage magic users. She jumped back in shock when the results came through. It was one of Voldemort Horcrux's. She quickly decided to leave it there. It would keep until she managed to give it to Potter when he would go looking for it, undoubtedly the Headmaster would tell him the truth of Voldemorts immortality.

Again she turned to leave, walking at a brisk pace toward the opening of the vault were Smashook was waiting. After formalities were exchanged and a meeting set up, he escorted her to the entrance of Gringotts.

"By the way, what was the name of my ancestor, your friend who charged you with your task?"

Smash let out a small grin, the first of the day, and said, "Druce, it stood for The Wise One, in Gaelic."

Back out on the street, with observers, she could only smirk. Her character would allow for nothing less. As she turned away he whispered, "I will expect great things from you, Vulpecula Lestrange, Lady and Head of the Ancient and Noble House of Lestrange."

Yay, such a long chapter!

If you wanted to see a pic of the ring there is a link on my profile. Cheers!

.com/Blue_Sapphire_Ring_


	5. Chapter 5

Hi, sorry about the wait, ive been working alot.

im having trouble organizing my thoughts, so if anything is unclear just mail me and i'll try to fix it.

thanks

Family and Allies

Vulpecula stared at the latest headline in the Daily Prophet. It would only be a matter of time before her parents and uncle would come back to the mansion. Right now they were probably lying low with Voldemort.

She started to skim through the rest of the paper and wrinkled her nose in disgust. More nonsense about Harry Potter and Dumbledore. She felt sorry for them. She knew that the the Dark Lord has returned, but they went around telling people the wrong way. Just announcing it in the Great Hall of Hogwarts without proof would get them nowhere. People would refuse to believe without solid evidence he had returned.

Hopefully now that the Deatheaters had been broken out of prison, people would finally start to think for themselves. There was no way that Sirius Black had done this. Thanks to an overheard conversation a few years before, Vulpecula was informed of his innocence of murdering the Potters and the twelve muggles in the street. If the Ministry had been wrong about that, they were wrong about him breaking out the Deatheaters in Azkaban.

It was really a coincidence that she even knew the information about Black in the first place. She had been in the hospital wing, pilfering the healing potions during her third year. She and her allies had been practicing dueling in a rather interesting room when she had accidentally used too much force. The wall behind her opponent had exploded and hit him with shards of stone. She needed to raid the healing potion storeroom in order to heal him. He was too badly injured for any of her allies to heal.

That was when Ron Weasley had been brought in the dead of night. The whispered conversation between Potter and Granger had been enlightening to say the least. This would put a new perspective in her plan.

She knew that Sirius Black was her second cousin. Her mother and her aunts were his first cousins, so Draco, Dora, and she were the next in line besides them to take the Black Estate and Lordship. With Sirius' death, she could contest for the Head of the House, she was one of the last Blacks after all, she was named for a constellation, just like tradition dictated.

Her Grandmother Lestrange had died before the summer during her fifth year. It was because of this she was able to petition for emancipation and control of the Lestrange Estates and Lordship.

She visited her Aunt Narcissa and her family occasionally to keep up appearances. From an early age she had worked on becoming emotionless and proud in front of these relatives. It was particularly beneficial to have Draco fear her. The self proclaimed Slytherin Prince ruled his school house, but always steered clear of her. She pretended to look up to Lucius and have an interest in the Dark Lord. He was surprisingly easy to fool. They were considered to be a Dark Family, with Lucius having the honor of bring Voldemorts right hand man. He would be the reference that allowed her to gain entry into Voldemorts inner circle.

Her Aunt Andromeda and her family was an entirely different story. These people she actually liked. When she was eight she took an interest in meeting her 'estranged' relatives. She paid a magical private investigator in a street off of Diagon Alley to look for them. All she heard from her grandmother about them was their betrayal of blood purity.

Andromeda had apparently married a Mudblood wizard and then had the indecency to give birth to a mixed blood Metamorphmagus. Her older Metamorphmagus cousin, Nymphadora, in particular drew her interest. This was an ally that she wanted. The ability to change her appearance and a blood connection would be assets to her cause.

She decided to meet her relatives. She walked up to their modest house when she was eight and rang the doorbell. The family was at first skeptical when she laid out her plans for the future, but they eventually believed her. She had gained her first allies.

They corresponded regularly through owl post. If any followers of the Dark Lord recognized them meeting, their plans would fall apart. Secrecy was their greatest weapon in this instance.

It was later, after her Cousin Dora graduated from Hogwarts that more plans were pursued. The Ministry was still very blood conscious. There was no way that her half blood Metamorphmagus cousin could infiltrate the Ministry on her own. Vulpecula used her extensive knowledge of family histories and blackmail material collected from various sources to put Dora into the Ministry. Dora was now a trained Auror and Vulpeculas primary agent inside the Department of Magical Law enforcement.

There was also the added bonus of Dora being recruited into the Order of the Phoenix. She could keep an eye on Golden Boy Potter and receive insider information on Order missions. She could slip by the Order Members or leak info to Dora. After the war Dora could also be a character reference of sorts and keep her out of prison.

She was careful to choose allies who could keep secrets. It was also important to have purebloods, half-bloods, muggleborns, and creatures in the group as well.

Her most trusted ally and dare she think it, friend, was the most unlikely of people.

Percy Weasley.

She approached him during her first year when he was patrolling the corridors on Prefect duty. Because his family was famous for their acceptance and curiosity of the Muggle World, he seemed as if he and his family were too pure to be allied with her.

However, Percy was different from his family. He had ambition. He was a Snake in the Lion's Den. He wanted to be better than his brothers. While one went to work for Gringotts, the other was sort of adventure seeker, the twins were popular Quidditch players, and his youngest brother was the new best friend of Harry Potter. He wanted to stand out. He was selfish. But even though he was selfish, he cared deeply for his family and his friends.

She promised him power in the Ministry. Her pockets were deep with gold and gold in the corrupt political world could buy you anything. She would back his campaigns and she would gain a spy.

The years went by and she gained more allies.

Blaise Zambini from a neutral and proud family.

Daphne Greengrass, a calculative girl with ambition in law.

Susan Bones a tough nut and very powerful from training with her Aunt, Department Head at the Department of magical Law Enforcement.

Justin Finch-Fletchly, whose parents were bankers, useful to hide muggle funds.

Luna Lovegood, bat crazy while Seeing small outcomes of the future.

Penelope Clearwater, Pecy's girlfriend and a talented at warding and charms.

Michael Corner, whose mother has ties to the American Magical Branch in US government,.

Dean Thomas, an athlete through and through, he is the inside source into the Gryffindor dorm.

Romilda Vane, she could whip up any potion in existence, love potions were her specialty, useful when you need to blackmail someone.

Later, during the Triwizard Cup in fourth year, she added Fluer Delacour and Viktor Krum to her list.

Fluer was a part Veela and could control fire. Her father is a French Ministry official, could come in handy if one of them needed to flee the country.

Viktor was particularly interesting. His family still felt the brunt from Gellert Grindelwald's campaign over Europe. Since magical witches and wizards live so long, their family still remembered the pains of war even when it had been over for fifty years. He was reluctant to join her group, but knew he would probably be dragged into by point. His honor would not let him sit by while others were preparing for the inevitable.

As they all grew to know each other, they started to become friends. She would never allow herself to call them that however. It would be too painful if she lost them. Instead, she trained them to be the best they could be. They dueled each other, learned about muggle technology and history. They cultivated their individual strengths and became a tight nit group who trusted one another.

Many more allies were added to her list, her Goblin acquaintances, a few werewolves, and especially house elves. Her only true friend when growing up was her Grandmothers ancient elf Matilly. She died when her Grandmother passed because they had a special house elf bond.

She even travelled to Voltura, Italy to gain Vampire allies. When she told Aro, Caius and Marcus about the troubles of the Wizarding World, they were intrigued to say the least. Aro could see her entire life through a touch of his hand and was interested to see how her plans would work out. He and his brothers agreed to fight with her when the time came.

She decided to stay in the underground palace for a few days. She was allowed to learn secrets that no other vampires could. She learned that they put on a façade to the Vampire World, much like the one she put on the Magical one. Their eyes were red, not from draining and killing tourists to their fair city, but from the large blood donation banks.

Really, if tour groups of up to fifty people regularly disappeared in the same city for decades; don't they think someone would notice?

Many of the humans in the city knew of the vampires that lurked beneath the surface. Their families were guardians of their vampiric secrets since ancient times. They and their families donated blood to the banks at every available opportunity to sustain the vampires. The Volturi in turn kept them safe from nomad vampires and rogue werewolves.

Of course, when vampire visitors arrive, a great show was put on. Jane would use her gift to torture volunteers, disguised as a tour group, until the visitors were out of hearing range. This kept fear and respect in the minds of the visitors and kept the Vampire World in Order.

Her allies were her sanity. She turned to them when plans needed a change and when she was too emotionally distraught to carry on. Her master plan had many loopholes and changes. The most difficult thing about the oncoming war would be the reconstruction of her life.

She would need to show the world that she was not the same person that she portrayed herself as to the public. After the war she wanted to escape and start over. She wanted to create her own school, specifically targeting children and magical creatures.

Unfortunately, she was afraid that she would not be able to accomplish this goal in England. She currently had Smashook looking into properties other, more open minded countries. Hopefully his search would come up with some long lost relatives as well.

As Vulpecula silently contemplated this, there was a rap and the manor door. Suddenly the door was blown off its hinges and three people entered the front hal.

A beautiful and ragged lady smiled with a maniacal gleam in her eye and a sickenly sweet baby voice.

"Hello, Pet, Mummy's home."


	6. Chapter 6

Hi everybody! just wanted to say that nothing special happens in this chapter. it is just a set up for the next oncoming chapters. the stuff in forks wont be good juntil much later.

Thanks

Bella Swan at Forks High

The new girl at Forks High, Bella Swan, stared across the cafeteria while Jessica Stanley quietly gossiped in her ear. The objects of her focus were five incredibly beautiful students. As Bella was silently scrutinizing the figures, Jessica was giving her their names.

Emmett Cullen, a giant with curly black hair and an easy smile.

Next to him was a blond woman with looks that could rival Aphrodite. Her name was Rosalie Hale.

A somber man with a pained expression and wild blond hair was named Jasper, Rosalie's twin.

Alice Cullen, a short girl with black hair who reminded Bella of a pixie.

Lastly, the most beautiful man that Bella had ever seen. He was the only one of the five to actually stare back at her. Edward Cullen. His beautiful bronze hair made him the one to stand out in the group. Not only was he the most handsome, in Bella's opinion, but he also seemed to be the leader of the small group.

Bella watched the five figures in interest as Jessica went on to explain, "Emmett and Alice Cullen are siblings, and their Uncle Carlisle Cullen adopted them along with Edward, his other nephew. Rosalie and Jasper Hale are twins and foster kids. They are related to Carlisle's wife Esme. Dr. and Mrs. Cullen are really young too. Almost everybody in the school has asked one of them out at some point. But they have never dated anyone that we know of. They must think they're too good for any of us."

The last part was said bitterly. Bella couldn't help but think when she was rejected.

Just then the warning bell rang and the cafeteria slowly started to empty.

"I'm off to Bio," said Bella.

"Oh good, Mike and Angela have that class too, they'll walk you over." Angela Webber, a kind if geeky looking girl smiled as Bella followed them. Mike Newton, who bore a resemblance to a golden retriever, started questioning Bella if she liked Forks so far.

As they entered the Biology classroom, Edward Cullen, who was sitting towards the front, slapped a hand over his nose and mouth. Bella, after talking briefly to the teacher, took the last seat available in the room. It just so happened that it was next to Edward Cullen.

The entire period he held himself rigidly. This made Bella very nervous. Right as the bell rang, Edward up and left the classroom before the bell finished ringing. She sat there for a few more seconds before Angela and Mike came over to collect her and escort her to her next class.

After school she went to turn in her check sheet, with teacher signatures, verifying that she attended all her new classes. At the office door, she overheard a conversation between the secretary and Edward Cullen. It seemed as if he wanted to transfer classes. Bella self-consciously pulled the cuffs of her long sleeves over her hands. She knew he was only asking because she joined his class. From his actions earlier it was clear that he didn't like her.

There were no other openings in any other classes. As he caught sight of her he told the secretary that he would just "suffer" through it. He stormed by her, nostrils flaring.

Bella was actually very hurt. In Phoenix, where she had just moved from, she didn't have many friends. While she only regularly hung out with a few girls, no one had actually disliked her before. She didn't even want to come live with her father, Charlie, the Chief of Police. Now she had to sit next to someone who hated her for an hour a day, five days a week.

The next day however, he was absent. Same for the day after that. The other four Cullen children came to school, but Edward was absent for over two weeks.

During this time she grew closer to her new friends in Forks. Angela and Jessica were her new buddies. Jessica was somewhat shallow, but in an amusing way, and Angela was a real sweetheart. She also grew closer to her father's friend and his son. Billy and Jacob Black.

They lived on the Quileute Indian reservation. Jake was surprisingly sweet even if he towered over Bella. The fifteen-year old was so easy to read and seemed to brighten her day when he was happy.

Weeks went by like this until Edward Cullen suddenly came back to school.

As she walked into Biology his first day back, he started a conversation with her. Bella was never so nervous in her life. The person who she thought hated her was actually being nice. This added to his handsome looks had her tongue in a knot. She barely made it through the period.

After school there was an accident. Bella was rummaging around in her backpack by her beat up truck when a van hit a patch of ice and hydroplaned. The van would have hit her if Edward had not pushed her out of the way and sheltered her with his body.

Sitting at the hospital she kept going over it numerous times in her head. The distance from where he had been standing to her position by her truck was at least fifty yards. The entire accident only lasted a few seconds. There was no way he could have made it to her in time if he was a normal teenager. She saw him move incredibly fast.

As she pondered over the incident in her head, she could come up with only one conclusion.

Edward Cullen was not human.


	7. Chapter 7

Fox Chase 7: He Left Her

'He left her. She was alone. No one would ever love her. She wasn't worth the trouble.'

These thoughts ran through Bella's head for months after Edward Cullen left her.

Everything was going so well too. Their relationship got off to a rocky start when Edward came back to school after weeks of absence. After learning about his family, she stuck with him.

A family of vampires was much more interesting than anything else in Forks after all.

There was only some resistance from Rosalie, who thought that Bella was putting the family at risk by associating with her. Otherwise her life was utter bliss.

She and Edward were the only members that were dating besides Carlisle and Esme. When she asked why none of the others found anybody else to date they replied that they were waiting. Waiting for what she didn't know and didn't ask.

Everything was great until a stray coven of nomad vampires swept through town. They were actually going to leave before they heard the Cullen playing baseball outside of town during a thunderstorm. The rest is history as they say.

James, a nutcase tracker, decided to hunt Bella. He chased her all the way to Phoenix where he and Edward had a showdown. Bella was bit, but before the vampire venom could take hold, Edward sucked it out, nearly going into a frenzy in the process. It was a small miracle that he stopped. The thing that originally attracted him to her was her sweet smelling blood.

James was killed. Laurent, the coven leader, went to join the Denali clan in Alaska. And James' mate Victoria disappeared.

Everything went back to normal in Forks. Until her birthday party. She accidentally got a nasty paper cut and started bleeding. Jasper couldn't control himself and attacked her in bloodlust.

She never blamed him. It was an accident after all. But Edward was not the same afterwards. He started to distance himself from her. The Cullen's and hales stopped coming to school.

It all came to a close when Edward met her in front of her house. He led her into the woods, in sight of the house, and broke up with her.

He told her that he was pretending the whole time he was with her. That he never loved her and was kidding himself that they could be together. What he was saying broke her heart. It was too easy for her to believe. She thought he was amazing and that she didn't deserve him. His words just confirmed what she was thinking.

She wasn't good enough.

Still she chased after him when he ran into the woods. The least he could have done was make sure she got back to the house alright. She ended up getting lost and when she was too exhausted and emotionally tired to move another step she sat down. Then she lay down. She wasn't sure how long she was there, but the sky turned dark and it started to get colder. She laid there for hours thinking about her suffering, when a sound in the brush made itself know.

She could have sworn she saw huge yellow eyes looking at her through the brush. She tried to process what she was seeing, but she was too cold and too tired.

Then all she felt was warmth, someone was carrying her. They moved steadily through the woods until they came back to the backyard. Her father was there with a search party. After they got her into the house she knew no more. One year of happiness with Edward ended just like that.

She woke up three days later. She had suffered through mild hypothermia, dehydration, and mental exhaustion. That didn't matter to her though. All she could think of was Edward. He left her, the Cullen's left her. She was alone.

The next months felt they were somebody else's life. She moved as though she were wading through molasses. She got straight A's trying to distract herself from her own thoughts. As soon as she stopped she remembered and her depression would reassert itself.

The worst was the nightmares. They would be filled with ugly thoughts. All the things that Edward said would replay over and over a thousand times worse than reality. She would feel so lonely and sad that she would wake up screaming and crying, trying to let out her suffering.

For a while everyone was supportive. However, after that first month her school friends started drift away. Angela was the most insistent that they should help her. Even after the third month of her depression Angela still smiled at her.

Jake too was supportive. He would come over every couple of weeks with his Dad. Billy and her dad would watch the games together and she and Jake would hang out in the kitchen. His innocent and happy personality would help when he was there, but when he left she was left she went back into her depression.

This went on for months. It wasn't until mid February that things changed for the better.

She sat at the 'old' Cullen table; apparently she was too depressing to sit with the rest of the school population. Staring out the window and thinking about the Cullen's instead of your tablemates will do that.

She was sitting alone at her table at the cafeteria, when she suddenly looked to the side, sensing another student looking at her.

"Mind if I sit here? I like the solitude."

The voice belonged to a nondescript girl with beautiful royal blue eyes. The girl raised a brow and sat with Bella's confirmation.

Bella could only stare dumbly. "Who are you?"

"Vulpecula Lestrange-Black. I can tell your special Isabella Marie Swan, want to join the resistance?"


	8. Chapter 8

hi sorry for the late update, ive been busy with school and work

heres my longest chapter yet

hope you like it

In on the Secret

"….."

Bella could only stare. As she looked at Vulpeculas interested face she thought, 'What the Hell? What resistance? How am I special? By her accent she a Brit, why did she come here?'

Vulpecula continued on, "You were friends with the Cullen's yes? I have vampire friends who told me all about them. They are the first 'vegetarian' vampire clan. Well, my friends told me that they were currently living in Forks, Washington and when I recently did a family search, I found relatives that live in the area. Naturally I had to come and meet them for myself. My relatives accepted me easily enough, but I heard that the Cullen's left town. After investigating the matter I found that you were quite close to them. And after meeting you I can see why they would take an interest in you."

"Interest?" Bella asked weakly.

"Yes your ability of Occlumency is remarkable. How long have you trained?"

"Occlumency?"

Vulpeculas face went blank, "You mean you don't know? I must have taken years of training for you to master that level of protection for your mind. Do you know anything about the magical world at all?"

By this point Bella was openly gaping at her.

Vulpecula just sighed, grabbed Bella's hand, dragging her out to the parking lot and stating, "Come on your cutting class today."

"Aren't you a student too?"

"No, I just blend into crowds very easily."

The next thing Bella knew she was speeding towards the Quileute Reservation in a black Lexus SUV. ("It's only a rental; I'm working on getting my own car.") She should be freaking out at this point, but she was strangely calm. She felt comfortable. Almost how she felt when she was with the Cullen's or Jacob. She had said something about magic, like magic was real, but now that she thought about it, it wasn't that far a stretch to believe that if vampires were real, then magic could be too.

As she was contemplating, they pulled up to the Black house. She again stared in surprise at their location.

Jacob came bounding out of the house yelling "Cuz!" before he caught site of Bella. He immediately beamed and grabbed her in a hug. "I'm so glad you're here! You're going to help aren't you? It's going to be so much fun!"

Bella was losing air, he was crushing her. Vulpecula cleared her throat and said, "Jake don't break her we need to give her an explanation, call her father over as well, he might as well hear this."

Jake, looking sheepish, nodded and ran into the house, yelling his apologies.

"I know it will be a lot to take in, but we could really use your help. There is a whole world full of people like you, the Cullen's and myself. All will be explained and I can tell from your easy acceptance of the Cullen's and the current situation that you will be very important to us."

They entered the house and took a seat across from Billy. She and Jake chatted until Charlie showed up with a panicked look in his eyes. He started firing off questions until Billy calmly waved his hand, "Take a seat Charlie and let me make introductions, this is the head of our family, Vulpecula Lestrange-Black and she will be explaining everything. Try not to interrupt until the end, it takes a long time and will take longer if she has to explain everything after every interruption." He laughed.

Charlie and Bella looked questioningly at Vulpecula, Charlie couldn't help but ask, "Vulpecula? Where did that name come from?" He received an elbow in the ribs from Bella for his question.

Vulpecula just gave a tiny smile and began, "Family tradition. It comes with our world. We are different from you, we are special. We can do things that you could only dream of. Because of our differences, we went underground so to speak and created our own world separate from non-magical beings. Yes, non-magical. Magic does exist and people live among you that have magic. Of course, the longer a society is separated, the more cultural gaps occur. My name is a good representation of this.

I am actually named after a constellation, for hundreds of years; all the men and women in the Black family have been given these names to show our prestige in our society. My mother was a Black; since she was so proud of her heritage she carried on the tradition and named me Vulpecula, "The Fox." Several generations ago, Billy Black's five times over grandmother gave birth to a child who would not be accepted into our society. The baby was non-magical, or a Squib as we call them. When he was old enough to survive the muggle, non-magical, world he was shipped to America with a fellow Squib with the last name of Clearwater. They made their way across the continent and settled in with the Quileute tribe. They married into the tribe, and generations later you get Billy and Jacob as well as the Clearwater Family. Because they were Squibs, they felt at ease with the tribe, because they had a form of magic of their own. They transformed into giant wolves called Spirit Warriors. Because of the extra magical heritage that was introduced into the tribe, the Black and Clearwater families have formed unnaturally. Jacob here will not have to fight for his dominance over a pack; he will become a natural leader and even gain some shaman powers when he shifts for the first time. The Clearwater family will see Leah as the first female Spirit Warrior and Seth will have an extra power. The initial shifts are brought on toward the end of puberty and only when an enemy is near. Right now a generation is shifting due to the Cullen's influence.

The initial Spirit Warrior Shift hundreds of years ago was brought on by two beings that were unnaturally pale and beautiful. They murdered tribe members for their blood and could not be defeated because of their diamond hard skin, super speed and super strength. The Quileute's called them the Cold Ones. Modern Society calls them vampires."

Charlie was hyperventilating at this point and clutching Bella to him like a lifeline. Bella, while shocked easily reasoned that everything matched up.

"The Cullen's came to Forks a few generations ago and the tribe made a treaty with them, only because they fed on animal blood instead of human. They recently came back and got involved with Bella, but suddenly left a few months ago. No human is allowed to learn about vampires and the Volturi Law states that they could kill her any time because of her knowledge of their world."

Charlie, who had been reassured by the Cullen's 'vegetarian' status, now looked even more worried.

"But they won't," with a small smile she continued. "I have allied myself with them and now that I have meet Bella I can reassure them that she is not a threat. She will be under my protection even if she doesn't agree to help the resistance. You see, the last few generations of British magical society have been in turmoil. Magical children born from muggle families are being persecuted and edged out of our world. Discrimination for muggleborns and Squibs as well as creatures such as Veela, Centaurs, Merpeople, House Elves and Goblins got so bad that the pureblood magical families declared a war of sorts. Muggleborns were not safe anymore. A mad man by the name of Voldemort gathered followers and tried to snuff out muggleborns and their allies. Until a small boy magically defeated him fifteen years ago. His mother must have put some kind of ancient protection on him, so when Voldemort tried to kill him it backfired and made him a spirit. He hid pieces of his soul so he would never die and almost two years ago he was resurrected. Things are going to get worse than ever and my family and allies have a large part to play. My parents and uncle on the Lestrange side are insane and follow Voldemort; I gained emancipation and headship over the family due to their criminal status. My Aunt, Uncle and Cousin Malfoy also follow him, but were respected members of magical society until recently. My Aunt Andromeda married a muggleborn and her daughter will be persecuted for her special abilities. They are in my resistance; Dora is actually the equivalent of a CIA agent in the magical government. My cousin Sirius, the Heir to the Blacks, died half a year ago and I took over his seat, meaning I am now the Lord and Head of Two Ancient Houses."

"For the last few years I have been gathering allies of various blood status, ethnicity, race and social class. I have extended my reach to the Centaurs, Goblins, House Elf's, Vampires and Veela. I trained my closest circle at school and no one knows of our relationship. Through them and other contacts, I have gained allies in banking, three magical governments, and various law enforcement and black-markets. My information network is unrivaled and I trust that every contact gives information that is complete and truthful.

She hesitated, "I have infiltrated Voldemorts inner circle of followers by leading him to believe I have loyalties only to him. Soon I will have to participate in raids. Terrible things happen during them. They target muggleborn children and their families who have not been informed of their magical abilities. They torture, kill, rape, steal….it is terrible to behold. I intend to participate, but I will send the families to a secret location and then replace them with golems before I stage a raid. My loyalties cannot be questioned.

I have already received permission from the Magical Branch of US government to settle all the new families in America. I just needed a location, now that I have found Billy and Jake; I wish to move them here. One of my manors will be transported to a large forested area about 20 miles North of Forks and be turned into a school. The actual families will be settled in Forks. The children will be transported magically to school each day to learn all the subjects muggle children learn as well as magical subjects. I intend to start small then, as time goes on, have the largest magical school on the West Coast of North America.

The primary targets are local families with young magical children as well as the families of young or older children in magical Britain. Everyone will be accepted regardless of blood status, race, or ethnicity. We also hope to have students on an international level who are not just from the UK or America. The goal is to have children learn things that help them adjust and survive in both worlds. British magical society is practically stuck in the Victorian Era, there is no modern technology or thought. Muggleborns usually enter the magical world at ten and never leave, even if the opportunities are not what they could have in the muggle world. For instance, there is a girl in my year at school, in the muggle world she could so anything because of her brains, the magical world will restrict her from gaining a position above assistant in government because she is not fully immersed in the magical culture and traditions and because of anti-muggleborn discrimination. By teaching the student about both worlds, they can have any opportunity they want and have the best of both worlds.

Charlie, we wanted to tell you this because the families need to be protected. They will be arriving soon and will be scared. My contact in the American Magical Branch is sending over agents to help protect them. You know everybody in the town and are trusted and respected. You would be put in charge of their security. If you don't want to accept that's fine, but everything would go over smoother if you are in the loop.

Bella, you have some magic in you, you feel comfortable around us, because you're different too. Your ability to block your mind from being read is a manifestation of this. If you help us we can train you to maximize your powers. We want you to go to different magical and creature communities with Jake to try to recruit teachers, support, funding, and students. It will be hard work; you need to learn all about the magical world. We understand if you don't want to help, it will be very dangerous, but we need you. We are trying to change the world and you would be part of it. We'll give you both a few days to think about it."

She sighed and began to stand, but she was interrupted.

Bella held her gaze levelly, while Charlie sat up straighter,

"We don't need to think about it. When do we begin?"

Vulpecula couldn't help but smile.

"Now."


	9. Chapter 9

Lesson Plans

"I brought some books about British magical culture, they have truthful information. As books are reprinted in the Magical World, the Ministry will edit the content to fit their current propaganda. These books are originals from the Lestrange Library. I will do my best to fill you in quickly on important current information. We only have a few weeks, I'll have to be back to school after the New Year. Luckily I don't have to fly over the muggle way, I'll return Disapperating, it will only take a few seconds that way."

"…."

"Oh! It's like teleporting. Luckily I got my license early and received British and American permission to enter and exit the country frequently. The Dark Lord thinks I'm setting him up with an alliance with the Volturi. You know, the vampire royalty?"

Charlie saw Bella nodding the affirmative and gave her a look, Bella could only shrug back.

"You could give them the same stuff you gave us and the Pack, Cuz." Jacob commented.

She had given Billy, Jake, the Clearwater's, and the Pack special devices to aid their learning. Each little device looked like a tiny muggle hearing aid. They were inscribed with runes to aid in Memory and Understanding.

Vulpecula brightened and walked into the other room, when she came back she had an armful of books in one hand and two small devices in the other. She held them up and started to explain, "Here, put these into your ear when you are going to go to sleep. Make sure you have an open book within five feet of you when you fall asleep. The words from the book will automatically be read and transmitted through the earpiece. When you wake up, the whole book should be read. You will retain full knowledge of the words and understand the concepts within. It's kind of like a form of subliminal messaging but you can agree or disagree with what the book says. Once you 'read' enough, you will be able to come to your own conclusions about what you learn. One of my allies came up with the concept, we have been utilizing them for the last few months. The only downside is that you could receive mental exhaustion if you over do it. Use it alternatively every other night. Your mind will need to process the new information and sleeping regularly will help sort everything out.

"Bella, we will start you off with a book on Occlumency and Legimency, you shouldn't have a problem with the device. You gift currently blocks anyone from reading your mind, however that doesn't mean thoughts can't be suggested to you, it will be the same as if you were in class listening to a teacher, you'll just remember it really well. Charlie, it will be more difficult for you. Bella is a Squib with just enough inherited blood magic from her mother's line to manifest a power, she can't see magical beings right now, but she can train herself to eventually see them permanently. Billy will have to go through the same thing. He carries magical and Spirit Warrior blood. You on the other hand, will be able to see and hear magical things only if you are charmed to. I will put an enchantment on all of you so that you will temporarily be able to see and hear what we do, the charm will need to be renewed every few weeks.

"The Ministry of Magic knows of this spell, but rarely uses it. While it is perfectly safe, by denying Squibs and the muggle spouses of this, it cuts down on 'blood pollution.' I know of it because it was written in one of my families books. If you end up spending a lot of time around magic, it will eventually seep into you and the spell will become permanent, it will probably take years though. The Ministry also doesn't want that information to get out either. If a family has a Dark artifact that comes into contact with them over time, eventually the Dark Magic will affect them negatively, usually driving them mad, making them cruel or power hungry.

"Anyway, I will put an accelerator rune onto your device to help you learn. You might have to 'read' it more than once but you will retain the knowledge and concepts eventually. Let's start you off with the American Hit-Wizard books, that's the Magical Law Enforcement. You will be working closely with them and will need to know codes, the hierarchy, general knowledge and laws. Now, I've already started Jake and Billy on information about Creatures and modern political texts. You'll all switch around the books when you're through with them, the pack and Clearwater's also have a lot of books as well. They should keep you busy for the next few weeks. I've also set up an account in a magical bookstore in Seattle. You can visit anytime or catalogue order anything you want. They ship through muggle post or by magical means. I'll also call my contact in Salem to set up Floo Networks between all Pack members and your houses. Easy accessibility between everyone will help things go more smoothly. All you need to do is choose a name for the location and the paperwork will be taken care of. While you do this, I and a colleague will set wards over each location. Wards are extra protections, much like alarms or magical walls. Some can be set to alert you when someone crosses them, only let certain people trough, create barriers to keep something in or out and other things of that nature."

"What's a Floo Network and why the emphasis on the Clearwater's. We know they have a little extra magical blood, but you mention them fairly often and separate them from the Pack."

Vulpecula looked thoughtful for a minute before she answered, "The Floo Network connects to the fireplace. It becomes a portal of sorts between other Floo's. You can travel one place to another through this in a matter of seconds, or if it's a cross country trip minutes. It is safe for children too, but you need to make sure that you say your destination clearly or you could be taken someplace else. I can also rig all of your Floo's so that only the people who you ward in can travel through completely. Most people only send their heads, kind of like calling on the phone but face to face. Anyway, once it's rigged it will be safer, strangers won't come through accidentally or on purpose.

"As for the Clearwater's, well, I have a feeling that they will be just as important as you all are. Plus, the colleague that will be doing most of the warding is Penelope Clearwater. She and her fiancé will be coming to visit. Percy, her fiancé, is one of my first and closest allies. He is actually closer to me than a friend would be. I was afraid for such a long time that if I became close to anyone, even calling them a friend, then they would be targeted. With the return of the Dark Lord, I cannot afford to slip up. I always call them allies in public, but they are actually very close friends. Percy has crossed that and has become a brother to me. While I put on an evil front for most of the time, these people know the real me. They trust me and I trust them. I need them."

Bella was confused, "Vulpecula, if you feel that way about your friends, why would you trust us with this information? And why so quickly?"

With a mischievous smile she replied, "I have a hunch, and my hunches are always right. Even with the few days that I have known Jake and Billy," she shot them both smiles, "and the few hours I have known you Bella, I can feel a connection."

She turned serious and replied in a tight voice, "I, also know what it is like to be alone, and abandoned. I felt such loneliness and sadness that people only saw my parents instead of just me. My parent's reputation drove off all potential friends and the family that could have loved me instead did not care. While you know that Charlie loves you, Edward must have been that part of you that made you complete. When he left, it made you feel as if you had no one. I never had anyone to love me, even in a fatherly way. I took solace in books, I found the traditions of my family and the amazing things they wrote. I learned to look at these men and women as my true ancestors, instead of my insane parents and grandmother. It is for them that I started this. To redeem the family honor and look towards a bright future where I could have the chance to be happy."

Bella understood perfectly, such loneliness could not be faked. Her heart filled with more determination than ever.

"Well, I don't need Edward Cullen anymore! If you could escape that loneliness than I can too! I will find someone else to love, someone who deserves me and who will never betray me! From now on the Era of Edward has passed!"

Jacob gave a loud whoop! and the room burst into laughter. Bella looked extremely embarrassed but was smiling. Charlie was both relieved and excited. His daughter was acting more like her old self. But she was stronger too.

"Before Bella runs out of the room to conquer the world, I should find a permanent residence." Vulpecula said smiling. "I have several manors or houses that can be transported over and put onto some property or I can build something new. Billy I appreciate the hospitality, but with Percy and Penelope coming over, it would be better to have my own place. We also need to buy out properties in Forks for the British families."

Billy nodded and said, "I understand, but where will you get the money for the houses and land?"

Vulpecula gave a wide smile, "With the Black and Lestrange fortunes, I am richer than most countries. That does not include some of the smaller fortunes and properties that have been absorbed into the lines."

Billy and Charlie looked like they were having small heart attacks while Bella and Jake were jumping up and down. It seemed as if the excitement of Bella's declaration and the money had thrown them over the edge of control.

"We could build or buy anything with that kind of money! We won't have to be limited by anything but our imagination! Vulpie! It's amazing! " Jake was still jumping up and down as he said this.

"Vulpie! Don't let any of my allies hear you call me that. I'll never live it down." Now it looked like Vulpecula would have a heart attack!

Jake stopped jumping and gave her a wicked grin, "OOO, so you don't like that name right? I think I will call you that from now on. Your family after all, it's my job to torture you!" He ran out into the backyard cackling madly. Bella joined him, giggling all the way.

Billy looked at Vulpecula concerned, "I hope it's not too much, I'll tell him not to call you that."

Vulpecula just sat down shaking her head. She gave him a small smile and looked away quickly.

"It's OK, I think it will grow on me."

"Well us old folks will call you Kit, you remind me of a fox, especially when you give that mischievous and sly grin. Oh, and call me Uncle Billy, Jakes right- we are family after all. Charlie could be your uncle too. You good with that Charlie?"

They looked over to Charlie. He nodded his head and smiled, "Sure."

"By the way, why do Jake and Bella call you by your first names?"

" Jake picked up the habit from his mom."

"Bella just moved back to Forks, she's not comfortable calling me Dad all the time." This was stated with a shrug, but she could see it bothered him.

"I'm sure that will be changing soon. We are going to work together a lot in the next few weeks, and tomorrow we can all look at my properties to see what fits. If we're all going to be a family, we all have to be comfortable for when you come over."

"Yeah, we'll have to get your new home picked out soon, Kit." Billy said with a smile.

She smiled.

"A new home, a new family, a new life."


	10. Chapter 10

The Order of the Phoenix

Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were called into the kitchen of 12 Grimmauld Place, the second day of their Christmas Holiday. The first night was spent at the Burrow. Harry in particular did not want to return to the former home of his recently deceased Godfather, Sirius Black, and current headquarters to The Order of the Phoenix. It felt wrong to be in Sirius' house when he would never return.

Dumbledore was currently at the head of the long dining table, waiting beside him was a group of strangers, their features hidden by long cloaks and hoods.

" Greetings Order Members, I have called all of you here tonight to introduce you to our new members. The Cullen Family will work closely with our Hogwarts students during the day and will be patrolling the castle at night. Dr. Carlisle Cullen will work with Madame Pomfrey during the day and teach a class on muggle first aid and health. His wife, Esme Cullen, will assist Hagrid in teaching Care of Magical Creatures. Their children, Edward, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice and Emmett will be posing as students during the day and join the security patrols with their parents at night. "

Hermione decided to speak up, "Headmaster, why do the Cullen's get to actively participate in Order business, while we are not? Wouldn't it be beneficial if we all participated?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he replied, "Yes, but the Cullen's priority is not learning, it is the safety of the students. While in their classes they are welcomed to learn, and will even be required to turn in their assignments, but it is only to aid in their cover. While they might look like normal teenagers, for the most part, they have decades of experience."

The Cullen's removed their hoods at this point. The room gasped as they took in their appearances. Hermione was gaping like a fish and Mrs. Weasley was about to start a tirade against having vampires at a school.

Carlisle raised his hand, "Please, just let me explain why we are here. For years we have lived in the muggle world, posing as a normal family. We do not feed on humans, instead we adhere to a 'vegetarian' diet of animal blood. Dumbledore has given us permission to hunt in the Forbidden Forest, and we will be supplied regular blood potions and thirst inhibitors. We are doing this because Voldemort is influencing the Ministry more than ever. Anti-Creature Laws are being passed quickly, without thought to consequence. We have always kept clear of the magical world, a few of my children were unaware of it until recently. The laws that are being passed however, will not allow us to live in peace any longer. All we want is to live peaceful lives and to do that, we are willing to fight."

The room was put at ease somewhat, but there was still more than a few members who looked at the Cullen's with disgust.

Dumbledore continued on, "We will sort the children into houses when the next term starts. It is my wish that our young members," he looked at Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny, "will ensure that they are as comfortable as possible. They will make their first appearance at Professor Slughorns New Year Eve Party. Hopefully those of you among the invited will volunteer to host them as dates," he again looked at Harry, Ginny, and Hermione, while Ron skulked- he wasn't invited. "The Cullen's will be staying at Headquarters at this present time, but the four of you will need to Floo over every day to get acquainted. I'm sure that all of you will have much in common. Good day to you all."

Dumbledore sailed out of the kitchen, leaving the occupants in an awkward silence. The members who were against the Cullen's left immediately, while others went to introduce themselves or break up into smaller groups. Remus pulled Esme and Carlisle off to the side for a private conversation while the younger Cullen's stood off to the side. The Golden Trio and Ginny just continued to sit in their seats.

"Imagine, vampires attending Hogwarts." Ginny stated negatively.

Harry became angry and snapped back, "Yeah, almost as crazy as letting a werewolf become a student. Ginny, we thought you like Remus. This is no different than him attending. It might not be for the same reasons, but it is still an opportunity for Hogwarts to diversify."

Ginny looked crestfallen, now that he put it like that, her statement seemed really rude. "You're right, I'm sorry. Let's go introduce ourselves."

Ron for his part, never took his eyes off of the beautiful blonde goddess. "Huh?"

Hermione stifled a snicker and eagerly got to her feet. She was across the room first, by the time the rest of them caught up, she was firing off questions to some amused looking vampires.

Rosalie was not amused, "Why don't you try asking us our names before you ask for our life stories." She was definitely giving off a standoffish vibe.

Hermione hesitated, her smile dimming, "I'm sorry, I get too excited sometimes and I forget my manners. May we know your names?"

Rosalie sighed, "Yes, I'm Rosalie, the pixie one is Alice, the giant is Emmett, the quiet one is Jasper, and the emo is Edward."

….ok, those descriptions, summed up the group nicely. Even though none of them said anything, the Trio and Ginny knew exactly who she was talking about.

"It is nice to meet all of you, I'm Hermione Granger, this is Harry Potter and the two redheads are Ron and Ginny Weasley."

"Hi, I'm Alice, I can tell were going to be great friends! Tell us about yourselves! We really don't know much about this world."

Hermione, sighed in relief and started chattering on about classes. The rest of the group listened interestedly, while Edward zoned out with a depressed look on his face.

The two groups got on surprisingly well. By the end of the day, they were already making plans to take a trip to Diagon Alley for their school supplies.

Alice had to ask about the fashion found in the magical world. While Hermione didn't take much interest in fashion, she was interested in learning what the vampires would think of Wizarding styles.

"Well, if the Wizarding world doesn't' have any fashion to suit our taste, we will have to turn to the muggle world. We wouldn't want to look bad at the New Years Eve Party." Rosalie stated with a smirk.

Emmett barked out a laugh, "All you two think about is fashion, we want to learn about the sports!"

Ron and Harry's eyes lit up, until Jasper questioned, "So, what do you know about Quidditch?"

With that the boys began to explain the finer points of Quidditch.

The girls went off to the side, chatting more about what they will need to get at Diagon Alley. This lead to a conversation about Hogwarts, specifically about the Houses and the people they would meet.

Hermione explained about the four houses and the stereotypes found within.

"The four of us are in Gryffindor, the house of the brave and bold. The other good houses are Ravenclaw, where the brainy and logical students go, Hufflepuff is for the hardworking and loyal. Then there is Slytherin. That house gives us the most problems in the war. Most of You-Know-Who's followers come from that house and many of their children are there now. They are sneaky and many of them are power hungry. You'll want to watch your backs around them."

By this time the boys had rejoined the conversation.

"Who do have to watch out for in particular?" Jasper asked.

"Draco Malfoy, gives us the most trouble, the slimy git. He's up to something I know it. I also think he is already marked, though he's keeping quiet about it. The ferret probably doesn't want to draw too much attention to himself now that his father is in Azkaban." Harry stated angrily.

Emmett laughed, "That guy doesn't sound so tough, we could take him out quicker than he can shout out a spell."

Jasper however was looking at Ginny's serious face, "Who do you think is the biggest threat."

"There is a girl, her parents are utterly mad and are devoted servants to You-Know-Who. Most of the student body is afraid of her. I don't know what to make of her, she's quiet but commands respect. No one knows what she is thinking or exactly how powerful she is. She is the one that could be the biggest threat."

"What's this girl's name?"

"Vulpecula Lestrange."


	11. Chapter 11

hi all. sorry about the long wait, but i really struggled with this chapter.

The New Years Eve Ball

Harry was looking at himself in the full length mirror at the Burrow. His dress robes were brand new, instead of the bottle green robes from the Yule Ball in his fourth year, he was wearing modern looking robes similar that that of a muggle tuxedo. His date for Slughorn's News Year Eve Ball, Alice, would be waiting with the rest of Cullen's at Headquarters until he, Hermione, and Ginny arrived to escort them. They would then be portkeyed to the front gate of Hogwarts.

For the fifth time in ten minutes he straightened his bowtie and checked his hair. He was tempted to ask Hermione for some Sleek-Easy hair potion to lay his hair flat, but decided against it. He didn't want to give away his nervousness to his friend. A lot was riding on tonight.

This would be the Cullen's introduction to the Wizarding World, and everything had to go perfectly. The Cullen children had become very good friends over the past week, but the pressure of the nights events was driving him into a frenzy. Not only had he developed a severe crush on his adorable pixie-like date, but he had to make sure that any possible threats to the Cullen's were stopped before they had a chance to occur.

He heard Mrs. Weasley calling from the kitchen. It was time to floo to Grimmauld. Hermione and Ginny were already in the kitchen, covered in warm cloaks, Ginny in black, Hermione in bronze.

When the group arrived in the kitchen floo at Headquarters, they were met by the Cullen males. All were in robes similar to the tuxedo style that Harry had donned. They were also wearing pins on their chests with the Cullen crest, a rampaging lion with an open hand above and clovers below.

Jasper immediately walked over to his date, Hermione, and gave a short bow over her hand. Emmett ran over to Ginny, picking her up and swinging her around.

"Emmett, you git," laughed Ginny, "put me down this instant before you wrinkle my robes. Your just like Fred and George- always giving the rest of us Weasley's trouble." Emmett put her down, giving out a booming laugh. The others chuckled at their antics.

"Where are the girls? We need to be leaving shortly."

Carlisle gave a warm smile, "They're waiting upstairs, they want to make an entrance down the stairwell. Shall we go now? The portkey is supposed to be waiting just outside in the park."

The group nodded and proceeded to the front entry. Esme came down first, her robes were an elegant dusky rose color that brought out the slight red highlights in her caramel colored hair. Rosalie came next wearing an ice blue strappless gown with a crystal accents in swirling patterns and a silvery outer robe over it. Then came Alice, she was wearing a short white babydoll gown with a large lavender ribbon under her bust and a matching lavender cape the same length as her dress. Needless to say they looked stunning, Harry in particular had a hard time taking his eyes off of Alice. She seemed to notice this and looked pleased by it.

After the ladies were complimented, the group moved outside and into the park across the street. The Headmaster had told them that the portkey would be a large Muggle rope dogtoy. After the group located and assembled themselves around it, Carlisle activated it by muttering the password, "Lemon Drops." The vampires, witches and wizard felt a hook like feeling in their guts, and were whisked off to Scotland. The vampires managed to land on their feet, Hermione and Ginny as well, though they stumbled a bit, Harry unfortunately landed on his face. He was red-faced as he was helped to his feet by a giggling Alice.

As they passed through the gate and up the path leading to the castle, the vampires were staring at Hogwarts gaped jawed.

"You should see the view from the Black Lake, first years traditionally take their first trip to the castle by boat. This way they get the entire effect of Hogwarts. It's a wonderful experience." Hermione murmured quietly.

The group observed Hogwarts quietly as they entered the castle. The Ball would take place in a large banquet room near the dungeons, so the group had to pass though the main stairwell. They were amazed by the changing staircases, the moving portraits, and the random students popping out of various hidden passageways, also on their way to Slughorn's party.

They entered the banquet room and again stared in amazement. They were standing at the top of a grand staircase, the guests stood around the room chattering away, while a small group of people appeared to be waltzing to classical music near the end of the room. The room seemed to be Roman themed, the staircase was marble, and there were columned floor length windows around all the walls. The view showed a magnificent Mediterranean nighttime ocean view with a full moon that seemed to make the ocean water sparkle and shimmer as a slight false breeze moved waves. The entire room was treated to a warm breeze that smelt of ocean and eucalyptus.

Harry stated, to the agreement of everyone, "I love magic."

"Hey guys," a shy voice pipped up from behind them. They turned to see Neville Longbottom dressed as a waiter in a white shirt and vest. "I guess I didn't make it into the Slug Club. It's ok though, Alfie has bathroom duty. I'm to take your cloaks and Stewart over there will announce you as you go down the staircase. Here I'll take those."

Ginny took off her cloak to reveal a charcoal grey bodice gown with black lace accents that complimented her bright hair and pale skin. Hermione took hers off to reveal a knee length gold dress with bronze threading that made her tamed curls shine. Neville starred at her, it was rare to see her this made up, she usually went for a more natural look. He then gave Ginny a small smile and bow before he hurriedly took the cloaks to a small chamber next to the entrance.

"Who was that?" Rosalie asked interestedly.

"That's Neville Longbottom, he's my and Ron's dorm mate. He is shy and a bit of a clutz, but very brave when his friends are in danger, ever since the Defense Association he's been coming into his own. He was actually one of our friends who went with us to the Department of Mysteries along with Luna Lovegood. You'll meet her when school starts back up." Harry said looking after him. He turned to Alice and gave a large grin, "Shall we?"

She giggled and took his arm, "We shall!"

The rest of the group chuckled and started after the two, who were heading off towards the beginning of the staircase. Rosalie giving one last look over her shoulder at Neville who was waiting for the next guest.

They were all announced in pairs as they descended. Harry and Alice went first, catching the attention of the room and ensuring that all eyes were on the next couples. Carlisle and Esme were next, they were easily recognized as vampires and speculation started on why they were attending. Hermione and Jasper were next, both looking very elegant. Edward and Rosalie after them, making the most beautiful and striking pair. Emmett and Ginny came last, both wearing large grins.

As the couples continued down the long staircase, the speculation started to grow. 'Why were the vampires here? They had obviously allied with Potter and the Weasleys. This meant that they were with the Light. Weren't vampires Dark Creatures, why would they ally with Dumbledore instead of You-Know-Who?'

Professor Horace Slughorn, having witnessed their entrance, gave them a beaming smile and joined them at the bottom of the staircase. Giving the band a 'kill' signal he waited for all the attention to fall upon him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce to you some very exciting people. The Cullen's, as I'm sure you all have noticed, are vampires. They will be joining us here at Hogwarts come next term. The Sire, and Head of the Cullen Family, Carlisle, will be teaching Muggle Healing and First Aid, very important in the coming times I'm sure. His lovely wife, Esme, will assist Hagrid with Care of magical Creatures. Their adopted children, Edward, Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie and Alice will join the ranks of students. I for one am looking forward to teaching Potions to them in the coming semester. Please, everyone, make them feel at home and enjoy the festivities!"

Throughout the speech there were mixed emotions to the news of vampires joining the Hogwarts student body and faculty. It is no surprise that many of the purebloods in the room looked unfavorably upon the arrangement while those of a more open mind merely nervous and excited. Wisely, most of the room decided to remain neutral to the news. By keeping neutral, they could observe the reactions to other and chose a side to support, hopefully the one that benefited them the most. Most of the room was full of Slytherin and Ravenclaw Alumni after all.

The party was in full swing, Alice having pulled Harry onto the dance floor as soon as the music struck back up. Surprisingly, he was a very good dancer, especially when he wasn't pining after Cho Chang. Jasper and Hermione were having a discussion on the Daily Prophet with same Ravenclaw Alumni. Esme and Carlisle were being introduced to the other Professors of Hogwarts. Ginny had had dragged Emmett over to the buffet table, where she spotted Gwenog Jones, the captain of the Holyhead Harpies. They were currently having an animated discussion about the teams chances at a Championship next season. Edward left the group immediately after Slughorn's introduction and proceeded to brood behind a potted palm, leaving Rosalie to be converged on by a dozen hopeful suitors. She both looked annoyed and smug by the attention. Though her eyes kept straying to the entrance door, whereNeville continued to greet incoming guests.

It wouldn't be until almost an hour later that she would be able to sneak away from her suitors. She used her super vampiric speed to climb the staircase. He was standing there in a relaxed pose, waiting for the next guests as she observed him. He smelled so good. His blood seemed to call to her. Like freshly turned earth and newly cut grass. She had no doubt that if she had not taken a blood supplement earlier, she would have torn out his throat the moment she caught his scent. Luckily, instead of murdering him for his blood she would now be able to smell him alot longer.

"Hello," she purred, "My name is Rosalie Cullen, might I know your name?"

Neville startled badly, jumping around to face her. When he caught site of her he replied in a strangled voice, "Nev-Nev-ille Long-bot-bot-om. P-Pleasure."

She gave smirk, "So you're a friend of Harry? He's told us good things about you. Now tell me about yourself."

Neville looked non-pulsed for a moment before he gave a bright smile and shyly began, "Err, I'm a Fifth Year Gryffindor. My best subject is Herbology, my hobbies are acquiring new plants and reading Herbology Theory. I recently started getting better at Defense…."

Rosalie gave him a small smile, she couldn't seem to keep her arrogant smirk around him. "And your family?"

He lost some of his smile, "It's just me and my Gran. My parents are….unwell. My only other relatives are my Grans age-"

She looked confused when he suddenly cut off his sentence. She looked at him closer and noticed he was staring over her shoulder. She turned to see what he was looking at and paused.

Standing there, was a girl deep navy robes. While most robes looked ridiculous and unflattering unless they cost a fortune, like Esme's, hers were unquestionably elegant. They fell in elegant waves around her feet and legs. The waist was tailored perfectly, emphasizing her hourglass figure. She was slightly taller than average, making her an inch taller than herself. Her arms were bare, and a floor length cape attached to her shoulders gave the outfit a roman flair. Rosalie looked up to the woman's face. Plain. So plain. She was actually tempted to let out a snicker at this plain Jane in an extraordinary ensemble before she looked into her eyes. A brilliant royal blue lined in charcoal. She looked at her face again. At first glance it looked utterly plain, but with the eyes highlighted and the proud tilt of the chin, it managed a regal look. The utter confidence in her eyes and demeanor made it impossible to look at her in anything other than respect.

The girl- no woman- gave a small nod to her and a quick flick of the eyes to Neville behind her before she swiftly turned toward the staircase. She watched her go before turning back to Neville. He looked pale and terrified, like a rabbit caught in trap.

"Who-"

"Lady Vulpecula Lestrange!" The announcer cried nervously from the top of the steps.

As she descended many in the room stopped to stare at the figure. She looked calm, imposing, regal like a queen viewing her subjects. The Cullen's stopped their activities to look at their most credible enemy at Hogwarts.

"Does she always look like that?" Alice asked Harry, "I'm not able to See witches or wizards without actually meeting them, even then there is no real clarity. She is different than I expected."

"No," he replied quietly, "She looks more confidant and more beautiful. She's always been in the background, just a plain girl with a quiet intelligence, now it looks as if she wants the attention, like she is making a statement."

Alice whispered, "I am here."

By this point Vulpecula reached the bottom of the staircase. She waited patiently before Blaise Zanbini, member of the Slug Club due to his mother's fame, escorted her to the dance floor. Another waltz started up as Blaise pulled her close and put up a silencing spell.

"The Cullen's are here, Dumbledore managed to pull them into the war. Will you be ok?"

"Yes, I saw the blond, Rosalie, I believe, at the entrance. By the way she was listening to Longbottom, it is clear she has an interest in him. Bella and Jake will be not be pleased, that is for certain. Still, if we manage to navigate around them, it will be a testament to our skills."

"Hmmm….it will be. By the way, when will I get to meet your new sister? She seems delightful if your messages are any indication."

She gave a small frown, "You can meet her if you come with me after the Ball, you have no plans for tomorrow I trust? But I'm warning you Blaise, if you use your Itailan charm to seduce her I will use that new curse on your most important appendage." He gulped.

"I would never seduce someone so important to you. I am just curious about her. And you know I don't have plans. Mother is in Italy looking for her next husband and all I was going to do was perfect my animagus form. I can do that at your manor and test run it in your wards. Knowing you the wards are already up."

She almost smiled, "You know me too well, and I perfected my form two days ago, I'll look forward to running with you and I'll call the pack as well."

The final bars of the waltz came to a close; the two separated and gave short bows to each other, as tradition expected.

He escorted her over to the buffet. She was gathering food when she heard a sneer behind her. "Lestrange, couldn't find a date? I thought a relative of mine could at least blackmail someone to be their date."

She turned to Draco and said, "Dear cousin, my not having a date pales in comparison when you don't even have an invitation." She spied the party security heading their way, and she knew he didn't have an invitation, he was whining about it before the break. He was trying to brush it off by saying he was too good for the party, hilarious.

Security had reached them and grabbed her cousin by the arms, "Our apologies Lady Lestrange, we'll take him out now." She gave a nod.

"What on Earth was that about?" Blaise questioned. "I thought he was afraid of you."

"My Mother finally told Aunt Narcissa that she and father were not in control of the Headship. The Dark Lord was informed almost immediately after I was introduced. He apparantly thinks it was very Slytherin of me, ensuring my safety in my family and controlling my parents and fortune. He finds it amusing, as long as he is sure of my loyalty to Him. The Malfoys see it as a rebellion against their elders. Draco is just jealous I have that kind of control over my mad parents and the respect of the Dark Lord. This as well as Uncle Lucius' capture and Draco's mission made him snap. The boy does not do well under pressure. Anyway, the Dark Lord has decided to no longer hide my Lady status, since it shows my cunningness and sense of tradition."

Vulpecula spoke very openly to Blaise, silently telling him through Legimency that the Cullen's were listening. Blaise's attention was drawn to something to the side of Vulpecula.

She turned and her breath caught, "Good evening Ma'am, might I have the pleasure of the next dance?" It was Jasper Cullen, from what she recognized from Bella's description. But instead of a pained expression of thirst, he was sporting a charming grin. She only looked at him silently, giving him a slight nod and taking his arm.

She observed him as he led her around the floor. He was doing the same to her. "It's not everyday that a stranger asks me to dance, normal men are too intimidated. I suppose conventional rules are disguarded when there are vampire guests though. Why did you ask me?"

He looked thoughtful, "No doubt you have heard about my family from your friend over there, we have allied with Dumbledore, and considering your families history in the war, it seems unnecessary to say that we will be watching you. I also asked you due to sheer curiosity. My thirst is severely dimmed due to some rather marvelous potions, however, I couldn't catch your scent as you were dancing. As I came closer I realized you had no natural blood scent at all. It intrigues me to say the least."

"Yes, that does not surprise me…I have always been good at hiding, blending into crowds, and having a forgettable face just helps this. My body is also hidden by having no scent. No one will be able to tell if I was somewhere or be able to track me by scent."

He gave a laugh, "Amazing!"

Vulpecula smiled and her heart gave a flutter.

She froze.

This was definitely not part of the Plan.


End file.
